Lois and Clark a Blackmailer's attempt
by fanfaction lover
Summary: This is the story of Lois and Clark while they were still trying to get to know each other. But there is a mystery and money missing at the Metropolis Department of Public Works and someone has photos of Clark as both Clark Kent and Superman
1. Chapter 1

Clark Kent was a young man of just twenty-eight years old. He had a good job as a top reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. But he had a secret, a secret only his parents knew. He was the man of steel. As he had gotten older he had learned something of his heritage but he still had many questions about how and why he had ended up in a small town by the name of Smallville here on Earth.

Everyday he dedicated his life to helping others. He had long ago made the decision not to let anyone know who he was and what he could do. He wasn't even sure of the latter, but today a special messenger had come into the Daily Planet and had left him al large manila envelope.

He opened the envelope not thinking much of it. As a reporter it was not a rare occasion that he would get that sort of delivery, but today the delivery was different. Inside the envelope was a picture of him coming into an alley way and then just moments later coming back out as the man the people knew as Superman. There was no threat no words just the picture.

Clark's hands shook as he looked at the photo and did not see Lois until it was almost too late. Lois was his partner at work and very curious. One thing he could say about Lois Lane, once she set her mind set up about something she would stick to the subject like a dog to a bone. He could not let her see what he had received.

Lois had been getting off of the elevator when she had seen the man delivering a package to her partner. She knew Clark and although he was good at investigative reporting she was better. She noticed that he had put the envelope away quickly when he had seen her walking into the room.

Lois went over to her desk that was right across from Clark's desk and looked at him. "So what is in the envelope?" she asked him.

Lois was not going to stop asking about the envelope, so Clark knew that he had to tell her something. One thing he had decided many years ago was to never lie, so now what does he do. He looked up at her with a smile and said "It is just a silly picture of me. I think it should go in the rubbish."

Lois laughed "a picture of you? Why did someone take a picture of you? Never mind people are always taking pictures of me and wanting me to autograph them. You had better do that or this person will hound you until you do." she warned. Lois was happy with the answer and went back to her desk to work.

Lois and Clark had been busy working on a story investigating the department of public works for the city. There had been some questions about the bridge repair that was being done on one of the major bridges. The cot had gone way out of proportion and they were both sure that someone in the department was putting their hands in the till. The amount of money that was in question was over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

Perry White was the editor and chief of the Daily Planet and he had one saying "Old news is history. We want the news as it happens not afterward." He was well aware that his two star employees were working on a story that could make the banner. He also knew that if things got rough they would get rougher. They had both been in danger before and met danger like a bull. He was a strong minded man and appreciated the work that Lois Lane and Clark Kent did for the newspaper.

As the two reporters worked side by side going after paper after paper they looked up to find Cat Grant giving Clark the eye. She thought that he was the best thing that had walked into the Daily Planet in a long time. She was the society woman and was known for her scant clothing. Cat had her eyes on Clark and offered to take him to a party that was being thrown by the mayor of the city that night.

At first Clark was very hesitant to say yes. Cat could be a handful, but what a way to get to know some of the members of the Department of Public Works. The head of the department was supposed to be there that night. Clark looked over at Lois who was totally disgusted with the thought of Clark and Cat. He then smiled and said "I would be glad to go with you. Perhaps you can introduce me to Jerry Camry, the head of the Department of Public Works."

'Business that is all Clark ever thinks of.' but she smiled and said she would be ready for eight. She would make her move towards him when Lois wasn't around and on her own turf. She knew that she could be hard to turn down when she was dressed to kill. This would be a great night and yes she would look and act her best.

Lois just glared at her and went back to work. She was not interested in Clark as a boyfriend, but, she thought that he should have better taste than dating Cat Grant. 'Oh why didn't she have someone that she could go with to that party? To be a fly on the wall. As she and Clark walked home she wished him luck and went up to her apartment. Once inside she made herself a large hot fudge sundae.

Lois's sister Lucy came into the kitchen and found her sister busy eating the sundae and asked her 'Bad day with Clark?"

Lois just rolled her eyes and told her "He's going out with Cat Grant tonight to a party for the city. I sure wish that I could go."

"Well not meaning to meddle, but you are going to have to make up your mind Clark or Superman. They both aren't going to hang around waiting for you forever, you know."

Lois took a large bite of her sundae and groaned Lucy was right.


	2. Chapter 2

Cat Grant was very excited to have a date with Clark Kent. She had been interested in the man ever since the first day that she had met him. He was very good looking and smart as they came. But, Lois Lane had her eyes on him too. Lois could not be happy with the hero they called Superman, no she wanted Clark too.

But she was playing a head game with the young naïve Clark. She acted as though she was not interested in him, but when someone tried to show an interest she stopped them. Lois did not know what she was up against Cat was going to win Clark's heart and she would start working on it tonight.

Cat had to be careful of what she wore. She wanted to dress appropriately for the reception, but conservatively for her dat Clark Kent. She chose a dress with a suggestive neckline, but not too low. She also chose a pair of shoes with a lower heel than she was used to . She wanted to give Clark the impression that she was shorter than she was.

Clark Kent was in his apartment choosing out his shirt and tie. He only had once formal suit, so he didn't have to chose that very carefully. He laughed to himself and then he saw the envelope that he had placed on the table next to him. He was going to have to figure out what to do with the picture, but tonight he was going to be busy on a story.

As Clark approached Cat's apartment he pulled up in front and checked himself in the mirror. He was dressed all right and he approved of the image in the mirror. He walked up to her apartment and knocked. Now, he had been there once before and did not want to linger for very long that night.

As Cat opened the door he was impressed with what he saw. She was a very beautiful woman and had dressed very conservatively for the party. He wasn't sure if she was trying to impress him or the other guests that were going to be there. Either way he was impressed. As he took her arm and they went down to his car he smiled and opened the door fo her.

Cat was happy with the way that Clark was treating her. He was a fine looking man when he was at work. But tonight all dressed up he was a very handsome man. You could see his muscles and ummm she could almost taste him.

As Cat took Clark through the crowd, she introduced him to everyone. He had met the mayor before, but many of the people were strangers to him. He looked around the room using his x ray vision to see what might be hidden. The room looked clean and he decided to start listening to the people. He was listening in when Cat took his arm and showed him Jim Miner the head of the Department of Public Works.

Lois and he had been trying for weeks to speak to Mr. Miner with no luck. Whenever they saw him he was on his way to a meeting and when they called him he was not in the office. It had been very irritating to them both and Clark was sure that the man was hiding something.

As they walked over to Jim Miner, he spotted them. He tried to steal away but Clark was too fast for him and caught right up to him and Cat introduced him. She was good too. She stood in such a way that Jim Miner would have had to ask her to move to get around her. Clark smiled to himself, she was a lot like Lois indeed.

Clark went right into his investigative mode and asked him "We are looking into some shortages that have been found to be missing in your department. Do you have anything to say about that?" he asked.

"I am not at liberty to talk about an investigation that is ongoing, but we are investigating on our end." he told him.

" _It has been reported that this has been going on for a long period of time. What is your answer to that?" Clark asked him._

 _"We will be giving a press conference when there is something that can be told. Right now as I said I cannot say anything, but if you find out something while you are investigating your information will be welcome. Excuse me." and with that he was off to talk to some other people._

 _Clark was a gentleman and danced and mingled with Cat. He heard the talk of him and how he was investigating. He was the topic of many of the conversations, but he heard nothing said about Jim Minor._

 _As Cat and Clark left the party together, Clark watched as he saw a young man with a camera. He seemed to be taking quite a few pictures of him and Cat. Clark studied the man and started to walk toward him. At first the man looked as though he was thinking of turning and walking away. But, then he decided to stand his ground._

 _The photographer was a young man and he smiled at the two of them as they approached him. "Well hello Miss Grant and Mr. Kent. How can I help you" he asked._

 _"I just thought that you were taking a lot of pictures and that I would like to see them. The young man seemed surprised, but let Clark look into the view finder. There were indeed many photos that had been taken. The young man introduced himself as Chris Redding and he was a free lance photographer. "I am trying to get some pictures that might get me some notoriety and that is why I am here." he told them._

 _Clark looked through all of his pictures and handed him back the camera. He asked him "Are there a lot of free lance photographers in the city?"_

 _"Oh yes they are all over the place. That is how we make a living. Some of us that is." he told him._

 _Clark handed him his card and told him that if he had any of his friends who were bragging about some photos that they had taken that would bring them a lot of money to please call him. Chris took the card with a questioning look, and went back to taking more pictures._

 _As Cat and Clark said good night, she told him that she would like him to come in. But Clark still remembered what had happened the last time and politely declined. He was impressed with her, though. She could be a lady and was actually a pleasure to be with._


	3. Chapter 3

Lois Lane lived in a small apartment with her sister Lucy. She was just sitting there hair in rollers, and feeling sorry for herself when she heard a strange noise. She walked toward the window and there was Superman floating in the air outside of her window.

'Great' she thought. 'She looked like something the cat dragged in, and Cat was out with Clark. Now she looked like this and Superman had come for a visit.' She told him to come on in and ran off to her room to pull the rollers out of her hair and take off the slinky bathrobe she was wearing.

Superman (Clark) laughed to himself as she ran to get herself looking better. He had felt sorry for Lois going out with Cat on her. He knew that she was very upset, but would never let Clark know that she was. As he looked around the room Lois came into the room like a tornado.

Lois tried to walk into the room with dignity, but whenever she was around Superman she just couldn't act like herself. She got all mixed up and did not know what to say. But Superman asked her to dance, and as the two of them danced under the stars her heart melted even more. They danced and yet their feet never touched the floor.

As Superman told her good-night she just waved. This was an evening that she would remember for the rest of her life. As she went to bed she just stared at the ceiling for hours.

But now it was time for Clark to get down to his own business. He had a photo that could harm him and he was going to find out who was behind the blackmail attempt. As Superman, he would do anything to protect his identity and under no circumstances was he going to allow anyone to blackmail him.

He started with the envelope. The currier who had brought it in was from a local company. The first thing in the morning, he was going there to find out who sent it if he could. But it was late at night and after a few trips around the city Clark went home to bed.

The next morning was Sunday and Clark went directly to the curriers office. But it was Sunday and there was no one in the office that could really help him. Clark used his x ray vision and located his file, but it had no name or anything on it. It just had an order for a delivery to made to him at the Daily Planet. But, it did have the curriers name. Gene Streeter. He would go back in the morning and talk to him.

The next thing that Clark did was go to the spot where the picture had been taken. Clark didn't think that anyone would see him changing back there in the dark alley, but someone had. As he walked down the alley there was the normal rubbish, but nothing significant until he saw a homeless man. He went over to the man and asked him if he had ever seen someone there in the last month taking pictures.

The man looked shocked to be asked such a question and Clark could smell that he had been drinking. He handed the man twenty dollars and the man took it. "As a matter of fact three weeks ago there was a woman out here taking pictures of the homeless and our situation. She was here for days and was supposed to come back, but she never did.

"Do you know her name?" Clark asked.

"Let me think " he told him, but Clark knew that this was going to cost him another twenty. He handed the money to the man and the man continued. "She said that her name was Brenda and that she was doing an article on us." he told Clark.

"Do you know anything else about her?" Clark asked.

"No. But she talked to a lot of us. You could try the mission down the street.

That was a good idea if someone was out on the streets interviewing the homeless the mission might have the information on who Brenda was. As Clark walked into the mission, he found several people who had met and talked to the lady but none of them had seen her for weeks or knew her last name.

Brenda according to everyone was a young woman in her twenties who had been seen all around the mission district taking photos and getting information for some sort of article. 'Perhaps she is a free lance reporter. Perhaps someone at the Daily Planet might have information.

But, Clark looked at his watch and it was time for him to head to his parent's house. They had invited him over for dinner that night and it was already after five. As he landed at the farm he could smell the dinner. When the Kent family all took their seats at the kitchen table Clark told them what was happening.

Clark's mother and father were two of the nicest people that a person could know. They listened with a little bit of worry. They had kept the secret of their son for the past twenty-seven years and did not want someone out there in the public blackmailing him.

His mother was the first to speak "I think that it is good that you went and asked questions about this lady by the name of Brenda. She might not be the person that you are looking for, but she is your best lead. tomorrow morning I would be there when the currier office opened and speak to the currier right away." she told him.

Jonathan Kent was indeed worried also. With the things that his son was capable of doing no one but family should know those things. It had always been a fear of Martha and him. They had tried very hard to keep his abilities a secret from everyone and now someone else knew . "Clark, if you learn anything let us know. If she is a free lance reporter, someone at the Daily Planet might know who she is. What about Lois?"

Clark had thought about talking to Lois, but she would want to know why he was interested in her. I will try talking to Perry first, but if I have to I will talk to Lois.

The rest of the visit was friendly and Clark had a good time relaxing at his old home. He would worry about the blackmailer in the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

Clark Kent said good-bye to his mother and father that morning and headed back to his new home Metropolis. It was a warm sunny day and the wind felt good against his face as he flew back to his home. He arrived back at the city at eight am and headed directly to the Daily Planet.

As Clark entered the building he saw his partner Lois Lane sitting at her desk hard at work. But, as he turned the corner to go down the stairs he saw the envelope that was sitting on his desk. He tried to act like everything was normal and smiled a "Good morning " to Lois. She smiled and came over to him.

"So how was the big date with Cat?" she asked.

But then out of nowhere came Cat who came over to Clark and with the running of her fingers down the side of her face she told him "We must do another date together sweety. You and I made the society page. With that she showed Clark the picture of him and Cat dancing. The paper was going to go out that afternoon and Clark moaned to himself.

This put Lois into another tizzy. She could not stand the thought of Clark with another woman. She wanted him for her own. She wanted Superman for her own. She just didn't know what she wanted. She walked over to her desk sulking and Clark knew that the rest of the day was going to be a challenge to him.

But, he had this envelope on his desk and he knew that there were some more pictures in it. The last thing that he wanted to do was to open the envelope in front of Lois. She had a real nose for news and she would grab onto the pictures like a dog would to a piece of meat. He put the envelope to the side and began to work.

However, he used his x ray vision and looked at the inside of the envelope. Sure enough inside the envelope were three pictures. There was a picture of his mother and father and the Kent farm enclosed. Clark needed to find out who was blackmailing him and fast.

Clark excused himself and headed over to the couriers office. Lois had not missed the envelope that had been delivered that morning. It was the second time that Clark had gotten an envelope delivered in the last few days and she wanted to know what was inside it. She waited for Clark to go into the elevator and then she rang for the elevator for herself. She followed him to the couriers office and waited outside.

As Clark came into the office he saw a nice looking young lady sitting at her desk. Her name was Karen. He introduced himself, using as much charm as he could. He knew that his charm and good looks sometimes got him information, and he had learned to use them.

"I know that you are busy, so I will just ask for a moment of your time. My name is Clark Kent, and there was an envelope delivered to me this morning. Could you please tell me who sent it?" he asked her.

Karen knew the envelope. She had sent a courier out to the Daily Planet herself. Their firm delivered many things to the Daily Planet, but indeed this had been the first time that she had seen an envelope dropped off into the inbox, other than the other day when another envelope had been delivered to the same man Clark Kent at the Daily Planet.

As Karen looked at the young man she truly wanted to help him, but this was all done in the strictest confidence. "I am sorry, but I cannot help you, but I can ask my supervisor if she can talk to you." she told him with a smile. She then excused herself and walked into the small office behind her.

Karen was not gone long when she came back with a smile and a lady in her early forties welcomed Clark into her office. "My name is Mrs. Task, how may I help you Mr. Kent?" she asked him with a smile and offered him a seat.

"I have been sent two envelopes to my office in the last few days and I would like to know who sent them." he told her with his brightest smile.

Mrs. Task thought for a moment and told him "All of our business is carried out in the strictest of confidence. However, in your case we do not know who sent the envelope. It was left in our inbox with a fifty dollar bill attached to it." she told him.

Clark thought for a moment asked her "Do you by any chance have cameras that tape the outside of the building? I am sorry to be of such trouble to you, but this is very important to me." Clark told her flashing her a smile once again.

Mrs. Task thought for a moment and then told him "I cannot let you see the tapes, but there were only two envelopes left in the inbox last night. I will go over the tapes this morning and get right back to you, when I find the video of the man who dropped off your envelope." she thought to herself that this would be all right since it is just information for one of their customers. It was not a solid reasoning, but she would look for this man. The Daily Planet was a good customer to her firm and she would not want to lose its business.

Clark thanked the lady and walked out of the building feeling a little better. That is until he saw Lois standing there looking smug. She came over to him and told him "You know, people are always trying to hold something over our heads. If there is someone who is trying to get you to stop doing something, you need to take the bull by the horns and go after them quicker and harder. Never let them have the upper hand." she told him.

Clark thought for a moment. He could not tell her what someone had on him, he certainly was not ready to let Lois know his true identity. He liked her, in fact he liked her a lot. She was the first woman that he had ever been this attracted to. She was a little dickens and hard to keep up with, but there was no one more kinder and determined than she was. She was his partner and they were the best of friends.

He looked at Lois and asked her "What would you do if someone had some pictures that you did not want anyone to see?" he asked her. He had to truest her, she would follow him from there to eternity and he would never get anything done anyways if he didn't let her in on at least some of his problem he thought to himself.

Lois thought now she knew what his problem was. She would not ask to see the pictures, but that would come later. This was a mystery and if there was not only one thing that she liked more than anything was a good mystery. She looked at him seriously and told him "I would talk to Jimmy. He knows a lot of the young photographers in town. There are many that are free lancing and he could put the word out on who took the photos. Then, like you I would go to the couriers office and see what they knew." she told him.

That is what he would do. He would go see Jimmy and talk to him. He was a young man and he roomed with a free lance photographer. Jimmy could put the word out and maybe find out who was doing the photos also.

As Clark and Lois walked into the office, they spoke with Jimmy. He had not heard anything, but he would put his ears on. He smiled to himself as he thought about what he had been asked. He was an aspiring young man and was anxious to make a good impression on his friends. He would find out the information for them that night if he could.

The rest of the day was spent on the investigation of the Department of Public Works. When Clark got the call from Mrs. Task, he smiled. She had the man who had left the envelope. He started to leave the office alone but saw Lois sulking and told her "Come on partner." He could use her help.

The two friends headed over to the courier office where Mrs. Task was waiting for them. She handed the video and they watched it. Neither one of them knew the man, but they were going to find out his destiny. They thanked the lady and set off to find the man's identity.


	5. Chapter 5

One of the best contacts that Lois and Clark had was a man they called Bobby. He was a street wise man who would hear things and tell them sometimes what he had heard.

So, that is where they would start on that morning. They found him and he agreed to talk to them. "There is talk on the street that a young man took some photos and sold them to someone who wants to use these photos to stop you from looking into the Department of Public Works scandal." He told them.

Clark had thought about that possibility and shook his head. Lois knew that this was a common thing when it came to exposing certain people. But, what on Earth could they have on the clean Clark Kent? She turned to Clark and asked him "What do they have on you?"

The last thing that Clark wanted to do was tell Lois who he was. He thought that she was a good person and probably very trust worthy, but he knew that the information could be dangerous, and long ago he had decided to keep his identity secret. He thought for a moment and then told her "Someone sent me a picture with no note or words just a picture of my mother and father and their farm. I took it as a real threat."

Lois looked at Clark she liked his mother and father. She had been a member of one of the most dysfunctional families that she had ever heard of. Her parents had divorced when she was a young girl and she had never had anyone but her sister Lucy. Clark, on the other hand had been raised on a farm in a small town and he and his family were very close.

Clark looked at Lois hoping that what he told her would be enough to satisfy her curiosity, and was thrilled when she told him. "Don't worry about this. We will find out who is threatening your family But, I do think that we should talk to Jimmy."

As the two of them walked into the Daily Planet they found Jimmy. Clark had taken out the photos of his parents and the farm and asked him for any ideas on who could have taken them. Jimmy took the photos and looked them over carefully. "These are good photos and someone has gone all the way to your home town to make an impression on you. I can tell you that the photographs are of a good quality and the camera that was used. The developing was done with paper that you could buy at a local store, though. I will definitely ask around." he told them

Clark and Lois thanked him and then Lois got a thought. The photo of the farm was taken from the air. There can't be that many people who rent airplanes in the area around Smallville. Perhaps you could find out who rented the airplane or took the photos from the air." Lois told him.

'That was why he needed his partner. She was very smart and she was right. He would go to his home town and find out what or who took the picture of his parent's house from the air.' Clark thought. To Lois he told her "That is a good idea, but today let's work on getting this guy Mr. Miner." he told her.

Clark knew that the chance that someone had rented an airplane out of his hometown was small, but there were no airports close to Smallville where a plane that was capable of flying over two thousand miles could land. It would make more sense that they would take a plane to the nearby airport and then rent a car. When they got to his hometown they could then rent a plane.

But Miner was shrewd and he had hidden the truth well. He was trying to cover any danger of being caught by blackmailoing Clark. They must be getting close to something. That made Lois want to dig even deeper.

But Clark wanted to go to his hometown before the airport in the next town closed. It was a very small airport and it would close probably at five and it was now two o'clock. He went over to Lois and told her that he was going to be going to be going to Smallville rather than talk to the man at the airport over the phone. "Superman is going to take me to Smallville. I will be leaving soon." he told her.

"Superman will take you? Do you think that he could take me too?" Lois asked him.

"Lois, he is doing this as a big favor to me and he cannot take both of us. Maybe another time " he told her.

Lois was a little disappointed but knew he was right. She just got crazy whenever Superman was around. She stifled her disappointment and wished him "Good Luck."

Clark headed back to his hometown and went to the small airport that was located just a short distance from his parents small farm. The airport was a one hanger, small airport that housed mostly planes that were used for fertilization purposes. There were a few pilots that would offer sightseeing tours, but there wasn't very much call for that in the area.

Gene Clark had worked at the local airport for the past few years. He had graduated with Clark Kent and was surprised to see him come into the office. "Clark Kent, why what a pleasure" he told him as the two men shook hands.

"I am sorry to have to come to you at this time, but I need some information." Clark told him.

"You need information from me? Shoot away." he told him.

Clark looked at his old friend and asked him. "Did you have any strangers take a sightseeing tour or rent an airplane at the airport for a short time recently?" he asked.

Gene remembered the man well. "A man called me early last Monday morning and asked me if we had any small planes that he could rent for a sightseeing tour. Joe Barnes was there and he agreed to let the man rent his plane for the afternoon. Joe has all the information on the man and his pilot license. He was in his forties and he had some young man with him. The man had a camera and wanted to know if he had a plane that he could use for the afternoon. They wanted to take pictures of the scenery. Do you want me to call Joe?" he told him.

"No thank you Gene. I know Joe well and it's time that we see each other again. We don't get together ever anymore and it will be nice to see him. It has been great seeing you too. Please don't let anyone know about our conversation." Clark asked him.

"No problem Clark." and with that Clark headed to Joe Barnes farm. He found Joe out in the field plowing and called to him. Joe saw him standing by the fence and came right over. "Clark Kent why this is indeed a surprise." he told him as he climbed down from the tractor and shook his friend's hand. "What brings you to my humble farm" he asked.

"It is good to see you too Joe. But, I am sorry that I am here for some information. I was told that you rented your plane last Monday to a man and a photographer. Do you know their name

Joe was surprised that Clark would be interested in some tourist but he had no problem giving his friend the information. As they walked into the house, Clark was greeted by Renee Joe's wife. She was very happy to see Clark and asked him to take a seat at the kitchen table.

Joe brought over his flight log and there on the page was the name James Reed license number s29036. He was listed as living in Metropolis and his passenger was listed as Donald Ames. This was significant, Clark now had names and he was on his way to finding out who was behind the blackmail.

Clark thanked his friends and headed back to Metropolis. It was after five, but he was sure that he would find Lois still at work. He was right and gave her the information.


	6. Chapter 6

Lois jumped up from her desk. 'This is it' she thought to herself. They now had the name of the pilot who had taken the photographer up on that day. She looked up the name James Reed and found that he worked as a private pilot at the local airport.

Jimmy was just coming down the stairs when she asked him if he knew the man who had done the pictures. He looked at the name Donald Ames. He knew Donald and had seen that he had just bought himself a new car. He had asked him about the car and Donald had talked about all of the car payments he was going to have. But, now he wondered if there was going to be any car payments.

Jimmy picked up his cell phone and called Donald but got no answer. He was about to turn around and tell Lois and Clark that he had gotten no answer when his phone rang and it was Donald. He said hello and was surprised to not hear his friends voice. The man on the other end identified himself as Sargent Greene, from the Metropolis police department. He wanted to know what Jimmy wanted with Donald as Donald had just been found dead in the river.

Jimmy told him that he was a friend of Donald's and that he was very sorry to hear what had happened. He turned to his friends Lois and Clark and started to tell them what had happened.

But, they knew by the sound of the conversation that things were not good. They had met Sargent Greene many times and knew that he worked homicide. Their best lead was now dead and there was no doubt that the person behind the blackmail was going to stop at nothing to make sure they got their way.

Now they were going to have to put their interests on the pilot. James Reed was the next person that they could find out information from and they had to get to him before he found out that Donald Ames had been murdered.

Lois went on line and phone the address of James Reed and she and Clark headed to his home. He lived in an upscale part of town and answered the door himself. He was surprised to see the famous team of Lois and Clark in front of him. He knew that he had been paid to take some pictures of the Kent farm, but for the money that he was given he had not questioned the young man who went with him and why he had been busy taking pictures of the farm. But, now he was interested.

He had to keep his cool and he smiled as he allowed the two reporters into his home. He offered them a cup of coffee and then took a seat himself. Lois was the first to speak "We have reason to believe that you were recently in Smallville taking pictures of the Kent farm."

Jim looked at her and said "Yes I was in Smallville and we did take some photos. Why do you ask?"

Clark did not want him to know everything but he wanted to know why "But, why would you travel almost two thousand miles to take a picture of a farm?" he asked.

"I was paid to do a job and I did it. There was nothing illegal about it." Jim told them.

"Who hired you?" Clark asked.

"I am sorry but I cannot tell you. It is confidential." Jim told him.

Clark looked at the man and said "I am concerned about anyone who would go out snooping around my parents house. It is important for me to learn, especially now that Donald Ames has been found murdered." he told him as he waited for a reaction.

This threw Jim off. "Murdered? Who would murder him? He was just a kid" he told them.

"That is why we came here. We have reason to believe that you and my parents life might be at stake." Clark told him hoping that he would touch his human side.

Jim thought for a moment and told them "I am not sure who hired me. They sent me money through a courier and inside an envelope was instructions. I left the photos back with the courier." he told them.

Lois and Clark thanked the man for the information and left. So they received the envelope from a courier. The same courier that was sending Clark the threatening envelopes. They were going to have to go back to the courier and get some more information.

Jimmy wanted to avenge his friends murder. He had known Don for almost five years. They had worked together on a few photo shoots and had kept in contact with each other. He decided that he was going to check with all of his friends any information that he could get about what Don had been doing for the past two weeks.

But, some of the people who would usually talk to Jimmy were afraid to talk. They were friendly to him, but would not help with his investigation. Finally he came home and saw his roommate. He was the only one person left that might be able to help him. When Jimmy started talking to him, he told him "I only know one thing. The other day Don told me that he was going to have a lot of money and that he was going to be getting it from some big wig that worked for the city. He told me that he paid cash for his car."

This was very interesting to Jimmy because he knew that Lois and Clark were working on an investigation of the Department of Public Works and thought that perhaps the two things went together. He would tell them in the morning when he got to work.

Lois and Clark left the home of Jim Reed and went by the courier office. But the office was closed. They would be going there first thing in the morning once more. They were going to find out who was behind the blackmailing and most likely the person who murdered Donald Ames.


	7. Chapter 7

Clark Kent had gone to his apartment and was trying to relax when he heard a knock on his door. He used his xray vision and was surprised to see Lois standing there. She looked very upset and was carrying some boxes of Chinese food.

Now, there was never a time that Clark wasn't glad to see Lois. He had a crush on her. All right he was very infatuated with her, but it was late at night, and he wanted to know what she was doing there.

Lois came down his stairs and showed him the food. "I was very hungry and thought you might like to join me with something to eat. Lucy is gone for the next few days to San Francisco and I hate to eat alone." she told him as she placed the food on the table.

Lois was talking very fast and Clark could see that she was worried. He looked at her and said "Lois, what is wrong? You aren't here just to have Chinese are you." he told her.

Lois turned around as she reached into one of the many boxes that she had and said "Nothing. Can't I come and visit a friend?" but she knew that she was not convincing.

Clark looked at her with caring eyes and just looked at her. She couldn't lie to him "It's just that when I got home tonight, someone had been in my apartment. They left a picture of my father and mother too." she told him with the starting of tears in her eyes.

Clark immediately felt sorry for her. He knew what she was going through, but now he was pretty sure who was behind the pictures. It was that terrible man from the Department of Public Works. He was a dangerous man for sure, but a coward. He was trying to use blackmail to stop him and Lois from doing this investigation. He was sure that he was behind the murder of Donald Ames also.

"Lois I think that it would be better to have you stay here tonight. Someone thinks that they can blackmail us and we will not allow it. If we stick together we will be fine. Don't worry." Clark told her.

Lois smiled and gave him a big hug. She didn't know what she would do without this wonderful man in her life. He was her strength when she was tired and her partner in life as in work.

The two friends sat down and ate the food until neither one of them could eat anymore. As they put the leftovers into the refrigerator Clark brought out Lois some bed things. She made up the bed and thanked him. Clark was such a sweet man he offered her his bed, but she said no she would sleep on the couch. Lois actually wanted to stay on the couch, that way she could keep an eye on the door.

The next morning Lois and Clark headed right over to the couriers office. Now the courier had been to Lois's apartment and Clark was starting to get a bad feeling about the place. 'There were many couriers in the city , so why is everything coming from this one location?' he thought to himself.

As they approached the couriers office they were met by the same lady who had helped them the other day. But this day she seemed evasive and said that Karen was not there. Clark glanced at the door and could see Karen in the room. Karen looked worried and he wondered if she had been threatened also.

Clark smiled at the lady and said "I saw her come in and it is very important that I speak to her."

Karen came out and asked him to come into her office once more. She liked the young man, but she had received a call yesterday that had frightened her. The man on the other line had told her to stop talking to those nosey reporters about private things, or things could get very messy for her.

Clark went in and could see that Karen was nervous. He told her that his partner had received more photos of her family this time. He also said that the man who had taken the pictures of his parents had been murdered. Karen fell into her seat. She just did not know what to do. Now, she was afraid for her life.

Karen told him the truth and he told her that he was going to take care of things He was sure that he and Lois were getting too close to the Department of Public Works scandal and he was sure that things were not going to get better for him or Lois until they found the truth.

As Clark came into the office he found Lois talking to a young woman earnestly. The lady appeared to be very nervous. Clark went over to his partners desk and Lois introduced him to Brenda the lady who had been taking pictures in the bad part of town with the homeless.

Brenda looked up at the young man and knew who he was. She wondered what he was going to do to her to protect his identity. She was a fool . How could she have thought that the twenty-five thousand dollars she received for the photo was going to cause her anything but harm. Now her friend Donald Ames was dead and she was sure that she was the next one on the list .

Clark looked at the woman as an enemy and wondered just who she had told about what she had seen when she was doing pictures downtown. He had been careless and had allowed himself to be photographed, but she had been the one to take the photographs. Who did she take the photos to?

Clark confronted her not really caring if Lois found out the truth at this time. He would handle her later. But, Brenda was frightened and after many questions admitted to Lois and Clark that the man she had sold the photos to was none other than Mr. Miner from the Department of Public Works.

Clark made up his mind that something had to be done right away about this man. He was to be taken seriously, and he could get Brenda off the hook, if she publically announced that she had forged some photographs. It would certainly hurt her credibility but the alternatives were not very good.

So Brenda did a complete confession admitting that she had tried to blackmail Superman with false phots and the article was set to appear in the afternoon edition of the Daily Planet.

As Mr. Miner sat at his desk at the Department of Public Works and read the paper he knew his life was over. He was caught and his family was going to be ruined. He pulled the gun out of his desk drawer and pulled the trigger.

This was not the ending that Clark Kent had imagined. But, as Superman he went to the man's home and removed all of the evidence that Miner had hidden Brenda was now humiliated and moved to another city and his secret identity was safe.


End file.
